Taming of the Shrews….

[HoylandOwl]

 

[HoylandOwl]

Plenty of positives today for me.

No, it wasn’t perfect. But; there was a few more signs that a bit of belief was returning. Especially with Smith, the first and third goals especially. Both good finishes and different. 
Ihiekwe was very good on his return and was totally unflustered throughout until he went off.

A clean sheet. That’s a good thing.

Winning without having our feathers ruffled. That’s a positive.

Three wins on the spin, regardless of performance. That’s a positive.

We have seen both sides of momentum this season. Let’s hope we’re now back on that run of positive momentum again.

 

[HoylandOwl]

 

[Chelters]

Four wins out of five now. No reason to fear the play-offs.

[mkowlthesexynewversion]

The mad scenario is getting to 93 points and not being automatically promoted.

I tell you what would have been a madder scenario. Ok all hypothetical now but you look back at the recent games in mad March / early April. Let's take the following 

We beat Forest Green +3 points

Either Vaulks shot v Cheltenham goes in or Oxford not given that pen + 2 points

We managed to salvage a draw at Burton + 1 point 

Plenty of other combinations but I am just going on + 6 points

The madder scenario is we could currently be sat on 99 points and would still have had to beat Derby to guarantee promotion. 

It would have taken both the events at Oxford and Cheltenham to have arisen for us not to be passed.

That gives some indication of how mad this season has been 

[Winco]

The actually reality of the season isn’t the “games we shudder wun”

but the fact that DC and DM didn’t have a cosy Xmas sit down and take a long hard look at the age of the players and think do you know what we could fuck ourselves here.

a few injuries and the pressure of going half a season Unbeaten fucked us.

[mkowlthesexynewversion]

To address my hypothetical point

Table a few weeks ago

Wednesday P34 pts 78

Plymouth. P36 pts 74

Ipswich P36 pts 72

Our mess up is the 11 games we got 15 points (mid table form). But we add the hypothetical +6 let's even go +7. So we are sat on 100 points, we have averaged 2 points a game over that period (promotion form) and yet Ipswich could still have overtaken us on goal difference on the last day

In those last 9 games Plymouth took 24 points, Ipswich 25 points. 

Of course we regret the injuries, the drop off in form, the questionable style of play and tactics. I am less convinced by the lack of signings arguments. Certainly valid but simply don't believe we would have signed players that would have made a difference 

[mkowlthesexynewversion]

To add to the maths at game 34 we had an average of 2.29 points per game. If we had maintained that then we would have finished on 105 points and promoted. To guarantee promotion we would have required 23 points from 11 games. So 2 and a bit

Over the season it would take a points average of 2.19 

Ok we fell a long way short over those 11 games but the ridiculous scenario is we could have hit the mythical 2 points a game over that period and not have been promoted. 

[Skamp]

We're just tormenting ourselves here.

We fucked up, we move on, we fail again, we start next season as favourites.

[HoylandOwl]

The absolute nobheads of twitter seem to have been let out of their cage.. 

sigh..

One was offering to see Jaden Brown ‘outside’…

Great ‘support’ that is. 

[mkowlthesexynewversion]

58 minutes ago, Skamp said:

We're just tormenting ourselves here.

We fucked up, we move on, we fail again, we start next season as favourites.

It not aimed to be that way, more a realistic assessment of those games, how even the odd changed result, even maintaining 2 points a game would not have guaranteed owt.

So I am on the same side really, its easy to criticise, I am guilty as charged on that but its also a challenge to those publicly berating the Club on other social media sites that we do have to go again, this is a freak occurrence. 

[TheExile]

17 hours ago, mkowlthesexynewversion said:

You simply have to congratulate Ipswich and Plymouth. Their consistency in that last quarter of the season, Plymouth snatching last minute winners in particular. 

We should have been well clear saying that, but the injuries hurt us, but mainly we failed because of went on between the ears of the players and manager. 

To me the unbeaten run became a distraction, the longer it went on the worse it would be when we did lose.are I can't prove owt in that respect, maybe a defeat earlier would have caused the decline earlier.

It is still mad that despite 93 points gained we aren't promoted automatically

I think the injuries were huge. You take the spine or at least match winning quality out of any side and the rest of the team will struggle. Especially as our style has been to remain organised and each player doing a simple job with smith, Windass and Byers/Bannan then winning the game individually. 3 of those were out for a large spell so then it’s up to others to have to change their game and they looked shattered. Those coming in to help were not sharp which is on the manager really as why couldn’t they have been helping the u23s (I think they can field a small no of over age) to at least get a bit of sharpness?

The gap we had created allowed us a bad run but we just let it go on too long. A Vaulks winner at Cheltenham or a non penalty at Oxford and we are still playing for autos next week. It’s ridiculous and none of us thought the teams above would both get max points on the run in. Also ridiculous.

The only positive I can take is that we have seen the playoffs coming and have players returning which adds some freshness to what was a very tired team in March. There is no last day depression and we can prepare accordingly. Still a 1/4 shot though isn’t it…

 

 

[TheExile]

Also that goalkeeper change…ffs. But will leave it there til post playoffs 

[Laceups]

Fuck it, we finished 3rd and deservedly so behind 2 very strong sides.

But beating the Dingles at Wembley will be a fantastic end to a very strong season with a depleted squad.

I like Moore as a person but I’m not saying he’s the man to take us to the Prem but if he gets us up then he’s earned a crack at next season but the squad will need a serious overhaul to challenge in the top half of the Championship. Youth and pace required.

Fingers crossed we get over the line now.

I’d be going out next week to beat Derby and knock them out of top 6 if poss. Especially as it was them bastards who put us in this league.

[Andyben]

...or

S1. He got us relegated

S2 bottled play offs

S3 bottled autos and...

His jobs in the line big time 

[HoylandOwl]

2 hours ago, Neville Facking Bartos said:

Link us so we can give them some back

Not me, they’re the worst team of all the potential play off opponents. Put a team out that will kick lumps per play 

The one I saw who did, got a lot back already.... Not sure if he deleted his tweet but can't see it now.

[Kiwi Owl]

 

[Owling_Wolf]

Wtf?  

[Paul from Wisewood]

Yep Portmanbarrie looks capable of going toe to toe with a bunch of professional athletes 

 

[Tylluan]

At first I thought his tag of PortmanBarrie might be an Ipswich fan on the pop but his socials have his kids all in Wednesday and England kits and him in Stone Island and Napapijiri

[Owling_Wolf]

The SkyBet EFL Team of the Week named yesterday includes Michael Smith, Michael Ihiekwe & Dominic Iorfa.  
Let's hope they take that form  forward against better teams in the Playoffs. And welcome back, 'Icky'.

[Otto_Man]

We looked so much more defensively solid in that last 20 when Ihiekwe came on against Exeter